There is no doubt that the sudden invasion of the Zhentil Castle army has plunged countless towns and villages in the entire West Heartland region and even the west coast of Faerûn into panic.
Although the church of Fuzor Chamberry and his tyranny god Bane have extremely strong organizational capabilities and have always only pursued strong rule, they rarely engage in large-scale attacks like savage monsters such as orcs.
Loot, massacre and destruction.
All towns controlled by it tend to have very good order.
As long as there is no resistance, even the property and safety of civilians can be protected to a certain extent.
But for those aristocratic lords, ruling class and vested interest groups who could have dominated the people, this was a horrific disaster that cannot be described in words.
Because with the strong character and behavior of the Tyrant of the Moon Sea, he will definitely not let these wastes waste food.
Instead, they will directly confiscate all their property and demote them to the lowest level of slaves, or they will simply secretly execute them together with the entire family to avoid future trouble.
In fact, when he captured several port cities along the Longhu coast, Fuzoul Chamberry did exactly this.
As a voter of Bane, the god of tyranny, he knew very well that Zuo Si's intention was to use himself and Zhentil Keep to destroy the original governance structure in this land, so that after taking over, he could shape a new governance and management model as he pleased. This is also what the Church of Benn often does after supporting a tyrant to conquer a certain area or subvert the local regime.
But Zuo Si's brilliance lies in successfully shifting the conflict, allowing Zhentil Castle to be the intruder and villain in the eyes of the locals, portraying himself as a savior and hero, and firmly grasping the image amidst gratitude and cheers.
Power.
As a result, in the traditional cognitive concepts of Faerûn, no one can question the legitimacy of its rule.
Of course, if it was just a simple play, Fuzuoer Qianberry would not have too much awe and fear towards Zuo Si.
What really frightens him is that the other party also takes advantage of the complex situation in the region, especially the ambition of Baal's son Sarevok, to let Baldur's Gate take the lead first, and then show up as the savior after its defeat.
Identity can turn the tide and use the failures of others to deepen and strengthen the admiration and gratitude of ordinary people for themselves.
When this is done, Baldur's Gate, the West Heartland region and the Dragon Coast will all be swallowed up in one go.
In addition, there is the food dumping that is going on in Sambia, which is causing a severe impact on the social stability of the Kingdom of Cormyr, and there is also the secret from all forces that secretly gives to oneself who does not know where.
Obtained massive weapons, armor and food support...
Due to the Zhentarim, a huge intelligence network all over the continent of Faerûn, Fuzor Chambery knows much more than others.
The more he knew, the more he felt that this young man, who was infinitely favored by the God of Tyranny, was far above him in terms of ambition, appetite, vision, structure, and horrifying methods.
While the top leaders of Zhentil Keep and the Zhentarim were still racking their brains to infiltrate and occupy one or two towns, the other party had already begun to devour more than one-fifth of the land on the west coast of the entire continent.
If this plan ultimately succeeds, then a huge empire with a population of 10 to 20 million will be born on the continent of Faerûn, with an unprecedented scope of rule.
For an ambitious and power-hungry tyrant, there is nothing more exciting than this.
The only thing that makes Fu Zouer Chamberry regret is that the person who is about to achieve this ambitious goal is not himself.
Of course, what troubled him even more was the increasingly excessive and explicit abnormal sexual orientation of Manson's last clone.
Although at the beginning, Fu Zouer Chamberry was still happy that his most powerful competitor in the past was willing to obey him.
But as time went by, he suddenly discovered that the softening and change of Manson's attitude was not the awe of power, but stemmed from another strong emotion - love.
If it had been anyone else, Fuzoul Chambery, who felt disgusted and disgusted, would have smashed him to death with a hammer.
But for Mansong, he really couldn't do it, or he couldn't bear it.
After all, when Mansong gave up his original ambition and desire for power, he became a super-enhanced version of Xi Manmeng, the current controller of the dark intelligence network.
And that kind of twisted love allows him to always maintain a high level of loyalty.
Therefore, Fu Zouer Chambery's current heart is very complicated, and can even be described as painful and happy.
On the one hand, he enjoys the sense of accomplishment brought by dominating and controlling Manson's last clone; on the other hand, his normal sexual orientation creates a strong physical rejection of this kind of love from the same sex.
Sometimes the Tyrant of the Moon Sea even felt that the reason why Mansong's clone became like this was probably because Zuo Si deliberately tortured him, but he couldn't find any tangible evidence.
In this way, while suppressing nausea and discomfort, Fuzoul Chamberry finally sent out Manson's clone and led the army to advance quickly by giving the opponent a new task.
He hopes to push the front to the green fields on the other side of the river before Baldur's Gate has time to react.
And set up the battlefield there to break the enemy's delusion of driving him into the sea, and at the same time crush the ambition of Sarevok, the son of Baal.
However, just as Zhentil Castle's army was frantically attacking the city as if they were in an uninhabited land, Baldur's Gate received the news and responded quickly.
Although the last defeat caused conflicts between several forces to completely break out and the situation was at odds with each other. On two occasions, civil war almost broke out. In the end, it was the mediation of the Nelanthel Islands that stabilized the situation.
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But when facing the invasion of powerful foreign enemies, Duke Iltan, Duke Silvershield, Duke Bert and Grand Duchess Lila Janus sat together again to discuss countermeasures.
After more than three hours of mutual accusations, quarrels and abuse, they finally reached a fragile truce agreement.
Not only that, these people also sent a request for help to Waterdeep City and Neverwinter City as Baldur's Gate was a member of the Alliance of Lords, hoping that the other side would send reinforcements to help because they had fought side by side.
Almost at the same time, a special envoy was sent south, intending to first go to the Nelanthel Islands to ask for reinforcements, and then go to the Amn Empire in the south to see if they could borrow some reinforcements.
Even if there are no reinforcements, getting some assistance in terms of weapons, armor, food and money, or attracting some adventurer mercenaries to participate, can give Baldur's Gate, which is facing a serious situation, a breath of relief. p>
However, these dukes obviously did not expect that before they sent their special envoys to go far, they were ambushed and killed by Sarevok's bandit gang.
At the moment, this strong man wearing heavy armor and having a strong man's hairstyle (bald head) is stepping on the corpses of the Baldur's Gate envoys, feeling the murderous divinity boiling in his body, grinning and saying something that only he can hear.
The voice whispered: "That's right! That's it!
Violence, killing and death will make me stronger and stronger, until I surpass mortals and inherit the Blood Throne of Baal.
No matter how many descendants my father left in the mortal world, I was the only one who could eventually embark on the road to becoming a god.
I am the chosen one in the prophecy, and I will surely win the fear and awe of all mortals..."
"Master, what should I do with these corpses?"
A human warrior whose armor was stained with blood walked over from a distance and asked.
"Just throw it into the woods.
The beasts and trolls will help us clean up the corpses.
Remember to wipe up the bloodstains at the scene, and then drive the vehicles and horses to the junction of the High Wasteland and the Troll's Roaring Forest.
It's best not to leave any traces that can be traced.
At least until I get rid of the dukes in Baldur's Gate who control the army, I must not let anyone know about the attack on the envoy."
Sarevok's eyes flashed with a cold and cruel light.
There is no doubt that the god of murder's divinity and bloodline have deeply and irreversibly affected him.
In other words, all the sons of Baal who have awakened to divinity will inevitably become what they are now.
The human warrior nodded quickly: "Understood! Please rest assured, I will find a way to block the news and ensure that Baldur's Gate will not notice that the envoy they sent has been attacked for at least a month." p>
“Very good!
Don't forget to urge those shapeshifters to infiltrate faster.
We must know that there is not much time left for us.
If we cannot send troops before Fort Zhentil fully captures the West Hartland area, then everything will be meaningless.
And keep an eye on those octopus heads, I don’t trust them."
Sarevok warned in a serious tone.
"The Mind Flayer has now established a secret stronghold in the sewers of Baldur's Gate.
They think they are unaware of anything.
But in fact, I have already locked the location there.
No matter what the purpose of these guys is, as long as they do anything suspicious at all, we can launch a raid and kill them all."
When saying these words, the human warrior's eyes flashed with an abnormal red light.
As the first mortal to follow and be willing to regard Sarevok as a god, he has gained special power from the feedback of this powerful son of Baal.
Through this energy, which could not be considered as divine power or divine magic, he could not only ignore the Mind Flayer's mind control, but also release some spell-like abilities, which were far more powerful than ordinary warriors.
Many powerful creatures who want to develop beliefs and sects, but do not have the ability to bestow divine magic, actually use this method to exchange the loyalty of some key members of the sect, and then use this as a basis to expand the number of believers, and eventually become great gods.
goal.
If the master they serve succeeds in becoming a god, then these backbones will have the opportunity to become God's spokesperson in the mortal world - the elect.
Sarevok had obviously read relevant content from some books in Candlekeep, so he also gathered a group of subordinates who were willing to regard themselves as gods and serve as the backbone of the church to develop their faith after becoming gods in the future.
Of course, nowadays these people are just thugs who have been given special powers.
Through the connection between spirit and faith, Sarevok can intuitively feel the thoughts and inner world of believers.
Therefore, compared to other partners, he trusted these subordinates who had no reservations about him, and a look of satisfaction quickly appeared on his face.
“Very good.
I promise that when I become the God of Killing, you and others will receive unimaginable rewards.
By the way, how is Gillian's adopted son, my half-brother now?
Hasn't he shown up yet?"
The human warrior shook his head slightly: "No, not yet.
I have arranged for bounty hunters to lay a dragnet on Friendly Arm and Belgost.
No matter whether he goes north or south, he will inevitably die in the end.
Of course, if you are unlucky, you may have become food for wild beasts in the forest.
In addition, there seems to be a very powerful white bear near the Friendly Arm.
Tazok's bandits lost dozens of people there, so much so that they did not dare to approach the area for fear of straying into the territory of this powerful beast and being attacked."
"A white bear? How can a polar creature like a white bear appear south of Baldur's Gate?"
Sarevok was stunned for a moment, but quickly responded nonchalantly: "Don't worry about it, it's just a beast that acts on instinct anyway, and it doesn't pose any threat to us.
The primary goal right now is to kill my brother.
His death will cause the divinity and divine power in his body to converge towards the closest son of Baal, thus making me stronger.
When my divinity and power exceed a certain critical point, I will be able to confront Fuzor Chambery, the elect of Bane, the god of tyranny, and even kill him in battle."
"Is there really no need to worry about Waterdeep City? As far as I know, with the style of those masked lords, they will definitely not sit idly by and ignore things like the attack on the envoys. Instead, they will send out adventurers or entrust Harpers
Alliance to investigate."
There was a hint of worry in the human warrior's tone.
"Hmph! Don't worry, Waterdeep City has more troublesome crises to deal with now, so we can't take care of them."
When saying this, Sarevok did not hide his gloating at all.
Just as he described it, at this moment, the masked lords of Waterdeep City are gathering together to hold an important meeting without any member being absent for the first time since the establishment of this political system.
Even those nobles who were given a small number of privileges sent representatives to attend, listen and express their opinions and opinions. The leaders of the guilds with huge power were also invited to the castle palace to attend.
Because everyone present knows very well that this is related to whether the miracle city under our feet can continue its current glory and prosperity in the future.
As one of the very few Masked Lords whose identities have been 100% confirmed, Kelben and Laila were also present.
Although as the chosen ones of the Goddess of Magic and legendary mages, they do not need to resort to these boring means to hide their identities, let alone worry about being attacked by enemies, they still put on the helmets that cover their faces and the pieces that symbolize their identities.
robes and an amulet engraved with the mark of Waterdeep.
Piergalen, the only lord whose identity was publicly revealed, was holding the trade alliance agreement sent by the Church of the Goddess of Wealth and reading the terms inside loudly to everyone present.
Almost every time I read one, it will immediately trigger heated arguments and discussions.
Since the political structure of Waterdeep City is a special governance structure based on various industry guilds, whenever a certain industry guild finds that its interests are harmed, it will inevitably jump out to express fierce opposition.
This means that Waterdeep City is not like Silvermoon Federation or Neverwinter City, which has a centralized government that can directly make decisions.
"Quiet!
Please stay quiet and listen to what I have to say!
I must remind you!
This trade alliance is different from any organization we have joined before!
It not only has strong binding force on franchisees!
If you commit any breach of contract after joining, you will pay a heavy price!
And the last few articles also have a certain nature of military alliance!
In other words, you cannot join or quit at will, you must be extra cautious."
Piergalen stood on the podium in the center of the hall and emphasized the importance of the incident to everyone present at the top of his lungs.
Since taking over the position of public lord from Byron's daughter, Restine, who was known as the "Masked Lady" in 1311, he has led the city through many crises.
Even on the eve of the Year of Turmoil, he successfully prevented the huge interdimensional passage that suddenly opened over Waterdeep City, and the large number of gargoyles and tengu flying out from it that could cause serious damage to the city.
In addition, we also have to deal with the dark elves, beholders, mind flayers and other terrifying monsters that rush out of Leyline City from time to time, as well as the illegal trade they engage in in Skull Port, especially the slave trade.
But in the eyes of Piergalen, the above crises are far less terrifying than the current trade alliance treaty.
In particular, the emergence of revolutionary air transportation vehicles such as airships directly destroyed the land transportation system originally composed of horse-drawn carriages and rivers.
No matter how hard the latter works, it is absolutely impossible to compete with the former.
This means that as long as you do not join the Trade Alliance for a day, fixed trade routes between other cities and Waterdeep will not be opened for a day.
Merchants can only continue to use primitive, backward and high-cost transportation methods to participate in this fundamentally unfair competition.
Perhaps ocean trade will not be greatly affected for the time being, but land trade will be quickly seized by other towns, thus losing a large amount of market share.
What's more serious is that Waterdeep City is not a country, it is just a relatively large port city, and it has no legal actual ruling rights over the villages and towns within the surrounding radiation range.
The latter were originally willing to follow in Waterdeep City's footsteps just for the sake of having a drink of water.
However, if a direct airship route to Waterdeep City is not opened, there is no guarantee that these villages and towns will not turn against each other and join the Trade Alliance as independent entities.
If this situation really occurs, then Waterdeep's influence will shrink significantly, and at the same time, many internal conflicts arising from unemployment and the inability to make money will quickly erupt.
"Don't we have a Tower of Order? We also have an air dock that can dock magic spaceships. Can't we build our own air transportation system?" A guild leader stood up and asked loudly.
The mage representative from the Tower of Order immediately rolled his eyes at this idiot who didn't understand magic at all, and asked with a sneer: "What do you think magic is?
How many skewers of barbecue are there for a copper coin at a roadside stall?
Or can one gold coin buy a cart of cabbage?
Any item related to magic cannot be cheap!
The cost of building a magic ship may be tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of gold coins alone!
Not to mention the eight rings, nine rings and even legendary magic that may be used.
Its price and scarcity determine that this thing cannot be manufactured in large quantities.
Even if it is manufactured, it is definitely not affordable for ordinary people.
In addition, as far as I know, the carrying capacity of most magic ships is less than one-fiftieth of that of a large airship.
So don’t be too wild!
I have been on that kind of airship, and I can tell you responsibly that with the knowledge, magic and technology that the Tower of Order currently possesses, trying to replicate it is simply a daydream."
"Damn! So according to what you said, apart from signing the agreement, we don't have any room for bargaining?" Another guild leader asked unwillingly.
"Sorry, although I don't want to undermine your self-confidence, this is the reality.
We must join a trade alliance to ensure that land trade does not continue to shrink.
Otherwise, Amn in the south, the restored Sharn Empire, as well as traditional allies Neverwinter and the Silver Moon Alliance will be very happy to encroach on the markets that originally belonged to us.
Because the fees they now need to pay to transport goods to designated locations may be only a fraction or even a few tenths of our land transportation costs.
In fact, since airship routes began to open in large numbers, our trade volume and tax revenue have been rapidly decreasing, and now only two-thirds of the original amount is left.
It is estimated that in another month, except for those places that are no more than three days away from Waterdeep, all other markets will be lost.
By then, we will face thousands of unemployed people and a rapidly deteriorating social security environment."
The head of the guild in charge of the trade field stood up and clearly stated the severe challenges currently faced.
Especially after those seemingly dazzling statistics were announced, many of the guys present who were clamoring to persevere just a second ago fell silent.
When Laila saw this, she immediately lowered her voice and asked her husband beside her: "Does the new type of transportation created by South really have such a big impact on traditional transportation?"
Kelben nodded slightly and explained in a leisurely pace: "It's much bigger than you think.
He built an air traffic network covering the entire West Coast, centered on those large towns.
In other words, horse carriages will only have to carry goods from these towns to nearby villages in the future, and will no longer need to risk crossing trade roads full of monsters and dangerous beasts.
Because of its fast speed, low price, and extra safety, many large businessmen who only do wholesale business have abandoned traditional animal-drawn carts.
I can't think of anything unexpected, the driver industry will slowly shrink in the next few years.
Some other related industries will also be affected.
But the good thing is that many formerly expensive luxury goods are now falling in price at an unimaginable speed.
Fresh fruits, vegetables and meats that previously could not be transported to distant areas for sale can now be transported and sold on a large scale as commodities.
Wherever the airship route covers, the living standards of civilians have been greatly improved, and there are also more opportunities to make money.
In particular, the Silver Moon Alliance, which was previously geographically isolated from the outside world, has achieved an economic leap in a very short period of time.
Alustriel now only needs to sit in the palace and deal with daily civil disputes, and he can count money happily every day until his hands cramp.
It is said that she also plans to expand the academy to cater for the large number of people who come from the south to learn magic and other knowledge and skills by airship.
After all, Silvermoon City is one of the very few cities in the North that can keep pace with Waterdeep in terms of education.
This is also the second point I want to make.
Airships have broken the geographical isolation between people and made cultural exchanges between each other particularly frequent.
Some historians have even begun to claim that this is a sign of the beginning of a new era."
"Since there are so many benefits, why do these guild leaders still oppose it?"
Laila frowned subconsciously.
"Because of power and interests!
If they join the trade alliance, many of these people will lose their existing rights and influence.
The most important thing is that Waterdeep will completely lose its right to independent coinage and taxation.
This will undoubtedly significantly weaken the independence of the entire city.
It may even be eroded little by little, and eventually become a vassal or even a puppet of the Trade Alliance like other towns.
And Soth, who truly controls this organization behind the scenes, will be above everyone else and become the emperor of the entire Northland and even the West Coast.
Alustriel has obviously noticed this.
But as long as the people of the Silver Moon Alliance can live a better life, she obviously doesn't mind that she may lose her existing rights in the future.
But not every ruler is as open-minded as she is.
You have to understand that mortals have almost no resistance to the temptation of power."
When saying these words, Kelben had a hint of undisguised contempt in his tone.
You don't need to ask to know that the targets of his contempt are the short-sighted guild leaders, as well as the nobles and masked lords who are also fiercely opposing.
Laila raised her eyebrows in surprise: "So...what Elminster said when he visited yesterday was true?"
Kelben nodded slightly: "Yes. Actually, this is no longer a secret.
Did you know?
In my conversation with Elminster yesterday, I officially announced my withdrawal from the Harpers Alliance and my intention to create an organization that is more in line with my own ideals.
The most important thing is that I went to meet with the tyrant of the Moon Sea, Fuzor Chambery, and reached a secret agreement with him.
Starting today, Elminster and I have completely parted ways."
"What! Are you serious? Does this matter have something to do with Soth?"
Laila's pupils suddenly dilated, as if she couldn't believe that these words came from her husband's mouth.
After all, almost all the voters of the Goddess of Magic will join the Harper Alliance to varying degrees, even Sammaster, the original founder of the Dragon Cult, is no exception.
"It's relevant, but not very relevant.
Mainly because I've had enough of the self-righteous behavior of Elminster and the Harpers.
What's more, this time, I am on Soth's side.
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In my opinion, integrating the originally loose and chaotic Northland together in the bloodiest way possible is definitely a once-in-a-lifetime good thing for civilians.
Anyone who tries to sabotage or stop it is an out-and-out sinner."
Kelben made no attempt to hide it and expressed his position openly.
In fact, he has already had very serious differences with Elminster in terms of thoughts, concepts and camp tendencies.
However, due to the situation where voters such as Sammaster directly rebelled and surrendered to the enemy, the Black Stick has always been very restrained in this regard.
But the unhappiness of the conversation made Kelburn completely determined to stick to his own ideas rather than continue to compromise with the first elector.
"Damn it! Could this be the beginning of division or even hostility within us?"
Laila showed strong concern for a moment.
Elminster is an old stubborn man who never changes his decision.
Similarly, Kelben is also a very principled person.
The most terrible thing is that Zuo Si never shows mercy to his enemies.
Laila simply couldn't imagine what it would be like if these three people fought.
But Kelben smiled and comforted: "Relax, things are not as bad as you think.
Just before coming to the meeting, I had contacted South.
He expressed that he very welcome Elminster to become his enemy and promised that he would never treat it as a confrontational game.
Even for the sake of the goddess of magic, I will never kill you."
After this answer, Laila didn't know whether to cry or laugh. She could only lower her head and sigh helplessly, deciding to talk to her other six sisters later.
At least on this matter, they must strictly maintain neutrality and must not get involved and worsen the situation further.
But what this couple of voters didn't know was that at this moment in the Friendly Arms Hotel, Zuo Si and Elminster were sitting at the most inconspicuous table in the corner, chatting like nothing happened.
There is no sense that the two of them are enemies who are about to become rivals, but rather like old friends reminiscing about the past after not seeing each other for a long time.
"Were you behind the massive invasion of Fuzor Chambery and Zhentil Castle?"
Elminster tried in an uncertain tone while smoking his pipe.
"Haha, don't you already have the answer in your mind?"
Zuo Si neither admitted nor denied, but gave the other party a meaningful look.
Elminster couldn't help laughing, and sighed while laughing: "Well, maybe the storm is right.
She warned me that if you were responsible for this matter, there would never be any clues left.
Now it seems that even if I know the truth and tell everyone loudly, I am afraid no one will believe it.
But I'm a little curious, why do you let someone like Fuzoul Chamberry obey you?
As far as I know, he is not the kind of guy who would easily bow to anyone."
Zuo Si answered very simply: "It's actually very simple.
As a chosen one and a priest, all the strength and power of Fuzole Chambery comes from the God behind him.
As long as I can deal with the god of tyranny behind it, then as a servant, he can only obey.
I obviously know better what Bane wants than this tyrant of the Moon Sea."
"So you are also the chosen one of the Dark Lord now?"
Elminster's old face showed unconcealable shock.
"Sorry, I won't answer this question directly."
Zuo Si very cunningly chose to avoid it.
Because when he explained his new definition of tyranny and tyrant to Ben, except for the electorate Fuzoul Chambery, no other person or god was present at all.
Therefore, the outside world does not yet know his true relationship with the God of Tyranny and his church.
But Elminster had clearly confirmed this in his heart. He took a deep breath and continued to test: "I don't understand why you go to such trouble? Isn't it possible to directly conquer, occupy and suppress? You
He shouldn't be the kind of person who would be merciful."
Zuo Si explained with a half-smile: "This involves the issue of governance costs.
You must know that occupying an area as an invader and conqueror will inevitably lead to fierce conflicts with the locals.
If forceful suppression is adopted, it may trigger hatred that will last at least one or two generations.
To rule a place like this requires not only stationing a large number of troops, but also repeatedly encircling and clearing out the rebels who are like weeds and cannot be killed no matter what.
In addition, overly strict laws and a turbulent social environment will cause the region to fall into a long-term economic downturn.
When the fiscal system reaches a point where it cannot make ends meet, the occupation of areas by force will become a huge burden, sucking blood from the central government.
It may take several generations, one or two hundred years, for the hatred to subside and for the locals to accept their new identity.
During this period, both you and the Harper Alliance, or my enemies, can continue to incite riots and carry out various acts of destruction in this area, turning it into a bleeding wound.
.
So in my opinion, direct and brutal use of force to conquer is the lowest and most stupid option.
Unless it is absolutely necessary, it is best not to completely ruin your reputation like Zhentil Keep.
A wise ruler should dress himself up as a messenger of justice, at least on the surface.
If one day I have to use force to invade and occupy an area, I will choose to either kill all the residents in this area, or move them all away and forcibly disperse them to other places for assimilation."
"Just like when you forcibly moved the residents of Mintan Island?" Elminster narrowed his eyes and asked.
"Yes. That's actually quite a gentle approach.
I can go even further if I want to.
So I advise you and the Harpers who follow you, it is best not to provoke my bottom line in this regard.
Because if you dare to do this, I will use some of the most extreme means to make the people you incite bleed like rivers.
In the same way, I will put all the responsibility on your heads through propaganda, and you will become street rats that everyone shouts about and beat, so that the civilians who are lucky enough to survive will hate you from the bottom of their hearts, and even join the hunt for you.
rows.
I believe you still remember the tragedy that happened to Drizzt, right?
He once tried to save the life of an innocent moon elf child when he was joining the dark elf surface commando team.
But when the child grew up, he mistook him for the enemy who slaughtered his village, and vowed to kill this evil drow to avenge his dead relatives.
In the end, in a battle, Drizzt had to kill the child he had saved with his own hands.
Do you know what that feels like?
Do you know how painful and desperate this feeling can be, and can even make people want to embark on the path of self-destruction?
Maybe for you idealists, death is not terrible.
But I can give you revenge that is ten thousand times more terrible than death."
When he said these words, Zuo Si's tone was full of threats and warnings, and he did not hide his cold and evil side at all.
In his opinion, the best way to deal with these chaotic and kind-hearted people who do whatever they want and think they are righteous is to draw a clear red line.
No matter who dares to take a step beyond the limit, he will immediately taste the taste of life worse than death.
Don’t you pride yourself on being righteous and like to do things according to your own values and moral standards?
Then I will turn all the people you have saved into avengers blinded by hatred, and let you choose between killing the people you saved or being killed, thereby destroying their spirit and will.
Elminster undoubtedly felt this naked malice, took a deep breath and said: "I understand what you mean. Don't worry, the confrontation between us will never involve innocent civilians."
After hearing the guarantee he wanted, Zuo Si immediately showed satisfaction: "Very good!
As long as you can control those Harpers who are used to doing whatever they want, I can also guarantee you that as long as they have not done anything like assassination, poisoning, or disrupting social stability, they will not be executed even if they are caught.
The most he can do is throw him into jail for a few years, or he may be punished with hard labor.
As long as you have the ability, you can organize a rescue operation at any time.
But the premise is that no guard can be killed."
"Deal!"
Elminster took the initiative to stretch out his right hand and hold it tightly with Zuo Si.
But soon, he suddenly changed the topic and asked with great interest: "Why do you want to integrate the entire west coast of Faerûn into a huge empire? As far as I know, you didn't seem to be a person with a strong interest in power before.
People of special interest."
Zuo Si smiled and shrugged: "There is no special reason.
If I have to find a reason, I think it should be that King Xia En VII said that he wanted me to marry his descendant and then inherit the Xia En Empire.
I was thinking at that time, since we want to integrate Calimshan, Tethyr, Amn and other regions, why not expand it to include the entire Northland.
After all, there is a basic common sense in my hometown, that is, only by establishing a country with a large land area, a high degree of political and economic unity, and a stable political power can civilians live a good life.
Moreover, I prefer to engage in management and construction. Whenever I see backward and poor towns becoming richer, more technologically advanced, and people's living standards getting higher and higher, I can get an unparalleled sense of accomplishment and satisfaction from it.
Sense.
In addition, I think you should also admit that I am better than all the rulers in this world, right?"
"Hahahaha!
I don't deny this.
But you are a dictator, a ** tyrant favored by the Dark Lord.
No one knows what kind of path you will take everyone on when you become the ruler of a huge empire.
Considering how much you attach great importance to magic, and the terrible disaster caused by the end of Netheril civilization, I don't think it is a good thing for you to successfully complete your intended goal.
In fact, you are like many overly smart people, always arrogantly thinking that the choices you make are the right ones.
In this regard, we do have many similarities.
Because I am also a very conceited person, and I insist that maintaining the status quo of Faerûn is the most ideal state."
Elminster laughed at himself.
It has to be said that although his positions and ideas are different, he is indeed not like many hypocrites who flaunt themselves as righteous and kind while playing double standards. He very frankly admits his own conceitedness and limitations.
"Fear comes from the unknown.
I can understand the resistance and fear that an old man like you, who was born more than a thousand years ago when the human race had just gotten rid of slavery and struggled to survive, and spent most of his life wandering around Faerûn, would feel against too drastic social changes. But please don’t forget that there are countless time, space and universes outside this world.
You have never seen a reinforced concrete jungle with tens of thousands of people living in one building, which is hundreds of meters high, or even more than the total population of some small cities in the world combined, or a huge city composed of tens of millions of people.
group;
I haven’t even experienced those public transportation trains that can run at speeds of hundreds of kilometers per hour on the track;
I have never witnessed a large aircraft that can cross the entire Faerûn continent in a few hours.
This is the gap between vision and structure, and it is also the place where you can never surpass me.
So I forgive your ignorance, and I also forgive you for making the choice to be my enemy out of fear.
Because in my opinion, you, who is known as the Great Sage of Shadow Valley, are just an old man who is about to be eliminated by the times.
I feel pity for you, and I also feel pity for those Harpers who are full of ideals in their hearts and desire to change and save the world, but in the end always achieve nothing.
After all, arbitrary chaos cannot bring about the elements that are truly sufficient for social progress and civilization development.
But the order is different!
Whether it is a neutral order or an evil order, as long as there is enough time to develop, it will ultimately have a profound impact on reshaping people's perceptions and expectations.
As for why it’s not lawful good.
Because Lawful Goodness seriously lacks the means to adapt to emergencies and the courage to sacrifice the interests of some people to save more people in critical moments.
Especially as the supreme ruler, kindness is not a plus, but a minus.
If a kind and good man becomes the leader of a certain country, it will definitely be a terrible disaster."
Zuo Si used a condescending attitude to let the chosen one of the goddess of magic experience what it felt like to be despised by others. For the first time, an angry expression appeared on that wrinkled old face...